Booz Allen to add 130 new jobs in Oklahoma City

To accommodate demands borne from the age of big data, Virginia-based Booz Allen Hamilton said Thursday it will be creating 240 jobs with a payroll of $165 million over the next 10 years in Oklahoma.

Of those jobs, 130 will be located in Oklahoma City within five years. The company now has 90 employees in downtown Oklahoma City, 211 N. Robinson Ave.

The company’s expansion stems primarily from “business growth and increased demand for the types of technology solutions we provide for our clients,” said company spokeswoman Jessica Klenk.

Klenk said Booz Allen will be adding a wide range of skilled jobs, including software developers, data scientists and cybersecurity engineers. The company provides consulting services to clients in the military, government and private sector.

The added jobs in Oklahoma City “is another step towards greater diversification of our economy,” Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt said in a prepared statement.

With 50 percent of its Oklahoma workforce affiliated with veterans and the military, Booz Allen has been named “Best Employer for Veterans” by Forbes magazine, “Best of the Best” Veteran-Friendly Company by U.S. Veterans Magazine and “Top Military-Friendly Employer” by GI Jobs Magazine.

In addition to growing demand for Booz Allen’s products and services, the job expansion was driven in part by the state’s Quality Jobs incentive program, which will pay the company up to 5 percent of its new payroll for up to 10 years.

“This is probably our best incentive we have for companies to create jobs in Oklahoma,” said Leslie Blair, public information officer for the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. “It’s a rebate. It’s not a tax credit.”

Tinker Air Force Base and other military operations across the state make Oklahoma City an “essential hub for the mission-critical work that we do for our clients,” Booz Allen Principal Thomas Boyle said in a statement.

The use of more sensors, monitors and digital software solutions means many industries are moving toward increased digitalization. And as industries add more digital technologies, the opportunities for hackers continue to grow. This means solutions such as advanced analytics, augmented reality, digital engineering and cybersecurity will be in greater demand, Booz Allen said.

“Our combination of talent and the investments we’ve made in our quality of life has made downtown a perfect location for Booz Allen’s expansion here,” Holt said.